₦airaland Forum

CION

bidexiii:
Seriously.......you make me crack by ribs

In the north east theatre only we have over 150 deployed MBT consisting of vickers,t72 and other forms of light wheeled and tracked tanks.

Countries that are not up to Nigeria military and economy are buying t72s in large quantity, Uganda will soon boast of over 100units of t90s you are there saying 40+80 units of t90 & t72s is enough, are you only buying to fight BHT or for future eventuality. You are here on these thread and others and yet you say such words.

Such procurement means we aren't learnt from our past mistakes and these is what is affecting us seriously are procurement power is very disappointing.

And who told you UK MBT is not up to that amount, why must you compare yourself with UK. His UK fighting a war, does UK has the same population and land area as Nigeria. Mate that's a wrong comparison/yard stick to compare with.

And I tell you we can afford it.

I think u are d joker.
u are buying in large number for d future? last I checked my don't have good maintenance culture,

if I may ask how many of d Vickers do we have in serviceable conditions.
or let me ask how many of our hardwares are in serviceable conditions. minus d hilux

giles14:
I think u are d joker.
u are buying in large number for d future? last I checked my don't have good maintenance culture,

if I may ask how many of d Vickers do we have in serviceable conditions.
or let me ask how many of our hardwares are in serviceable conditions. minus d hilux

Many people can tell you are the joker here.

In Borno and yobe we have over 150 units of t72 and vickers MBT,some not really in good condition because they are being stretched out. And who told you we don't have maintenance culture with the corruption in our military tell me how many countries still have vickers MBT and Scorpion tank in good serviceable conditions. Come to yaba,ikeja, ojo in ibadan and Bauchi you will see vickers light tank in hangers that are in good condition but they are not fit for CION.

We have a maintenance outfit in Bauchi State, of recent vickers bridge layers, engineers recovery track vehicle where displaced and the COAS confirmed that some MBTs, and military vehicles are brought back to life and these are junks from 70's & 80's and yet we still manage to keep them alive. Don't forget factors like spare parts that are not readily available because most of these hard ware are not being manufactured again.

Ugandan would still be proud owners of over 100 units of t90 and yet we are far better than them in everything. You claim is too expensive to buy when troops are dying daily.

Henry has said it all there is way to go about it only we don't av good leaders and the will ....!

Henry240:
1 billion dollars is small money, it's because our governments have proven to be utterly hopeless and useless over the years, that's why it seems like "small money", seems big.

Spread 1 billion dollars over 5 years, tell me again that we can't afford that?


What we need is 250 T-90s, then we completely retire all our old Tanks. Add 150 - 170 units of IFV. We buy IFVs from South-Africa, a plan that should include local build of 60% of the units. Again, you spread the cost.

dats not bad.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFFQ9yLRLo4


NAF UNDERTAKES AERIAL PATROL OF ABUJA-KADUNA RAILWAY
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) has extended its aerial patrol and surveillance of the Abuja-Kaduna highway to include the railway line as part of the ongoing effort to protect lives and safeguard critical national assets within the affected areas. The latest patrol and surveillance efforts cover both railway terminus in Abuja and Kaduna and environs using NAF helicopters.
Given the security situation in the North West region of the country and the usual trend of crime increase towards the end of the year, the NAF in August 2016 commenced extensive aerial patrol of Abuja-Kaduna highway, including Abuja metropolis, Kaduna-Birnin Gwari road, Kaduna-Zaria-Kano road, Falgore Forest as well as Minna and environs to checkmate criminal activities such as armed robbery, cattle rustling and kidnapping.

bidexiii:
Many people can tell you are the joker here.

In Borno and yobe we have over 150 units of t72 and vickers MBT,some not really in good condition because they are being stretched out. And who told you we don't have maintenance culture with the corruption in our military tell me how many countries still have vickers MBT and Scorpion tank in good serviceable conditions. Come to yaba,ikeja, ojo in ibadan and Bauchi you will see vickers light tank in hangers that are in good condition but they are not fit for CION.

We have a maintenance outfit in Bauchi State, of recent vickers bridge layers, engineers recovery track vehicle where displaced and the COAS confirmed that some MBTs, and military vehicles are brought back to life and these are junks from 70's & 80's and yet we still manage to keep them alive. Don't forget factors like spare parts that are not readily available because most of these hard ware are not being manufactured again.

Ugandan would still be proud owners of over 100 units of t90 and yet we are far better than them in everything. You claim is too expensive to buy when troops are dying daily.

Henry has said it all there is way to go about it only we don't av good leaders and the will ....!

pls just answer my question how many Vickers tanks do we have.

don't forget we only have 16 T72 tanks and as far as I know d T72 are unreliable

giles14:
pls just answer my question how many Vickers tanks do we have.

don't forget we only have 16 T72 tanks and as far as I know d T72 are unreliable

There is a popular saying that goes when you are misinformed, you will be deformed.

If you don't know someone thing why not politely ask. And please stop saying what you don't know about

NA has only 16 units of t72...........

bidexiii:
There is a popular saying that goes when you are misinformed, you will be deformed.

If you don't know someone thing why not politely ask. And please stop saying what you don't know about

NA has only 16 units of t72...........

u can laugh as u want I don't care.but dat was ibwali's quote seconded by u bidexii

giles14:
don't forget we only have 16 T72 tanks and as far as I know d T72 are unreliable

Nigeria has 43 T-72 tanks, I don't know were you guys keep getting 16 from.

DISCOVERED BHT I.E.D

Henry240:
Nigeria has 43 T-72 tanks, I don't know were you guys keep getting 16 from.

Clowns who believe whatever they see on Wikipedia hook, line and sinker. Ignore them.

#NA BYKERS

bidexiii:
CION

one gut feeling is telling me that THIS lieutenant is no one but oga Bidexii himself

realnas:
one gut feeling is telling me that THIS lieutenant is no one but oga Bidexii himself

CAPITAL NO.......

THE DANGERS OF IGNORING STRATEGIC INTELLIGENCE

As Africa drags itself ever closer to the abyss, one would think that governments would be paying a lot more attention to strategic intelligence, and the current and developing strategic threats, along with strategic forecasting. This sadly appears not to be the case as it is evident that erroneous intelligence impacts greatly on current thinking and strategies—especially when the initiative has been lost and the tipping point is approaching.

If governments continue to base their strategic predications on thumb-sucking, misinformed media articles and ‘opinion pieces’, ill-informed advisors, and incorrect narrative-driven assumptions, instead of verified and credible strategic intelligence, tragedy awaits them as they place their national and vital interests at risk. The richer they are in resources, the greater the risk and the subsequent looming tragedy.

The rise of armed anti-government forces, radical religious terror groups, proxy forces, domestic and transnational organised crime, planned regime-change actions, mass perception shaping programmes via the mainstream media and so forth, is evident that intelligence failures at the strategic level are increasing. The continued lack of intelligence is costing—and will still cost—African governments dearly in the future as they will be unable to prepare and posture themselves correctly to meet the threats. Nor will they be able to develop a coherent strategic intent as the threat and its intentions will be unknown…let alone safeguard their interests.

The integrity and survival of the state along with the longevity of government requires a reliable, robust, and continuous strategic intelligence input. This is essential to enable the development and adjustment of the National Strategy. The National Strategy, in turn, must give the government direction and guidance on how it intends to position itself on the national, regional, continental, and international stages. It is also essential to give forewarning of real, potential and predicted violent and non-violent threats against the state—and the obstacles it will face along the way in countering the threats.

The National Security Strategy is similarly guided by strategic intelligence and strategic forecasting and/or predictions, and its impact is felt across all pillars of the state. However, threats against the state are not only of a military or armed nature. They include planned non-violent attacks such as economic sabotage, political blackmail, coercive diplomacy, perception manipulation, international criminal court threats, trade embargos, resource and state capture, and so forth. These threats are diverse, multi-dimensional and very seldom, if ever, appear as a singular threat. They develop over time and are never spontaneous.

Without strategic intelligence, the state will have no pre-warning of the approaching threats—or their intentions—that will attack it on numerous fronts. Nor will it understand—or be likely to withstand—foreign-backed and sponsored regime change actions through violent and non-violent means. These attacks all have only one aim: the installation, by any and all means possible, of a government that will be sympathetic to the regime change sponsors and that will surrender its resources as a token of thanks.

Countries such as Libya, Egypt, Tunisia, Nigeria, Central African Republic, S Sudan, DRC, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, and Mali to name a few have all found themselves under sustained attack without having had any home-grown intelligence pre-warning. Despite several of the aforementioned countries being cautioned prior to the attacks, they chose instead to be blind and discard the dangers in the misguided belief that they may not be targeted or that the intelligence was wrong. In some instances, they were advised by ‘allies’ that the intelligence was false. Several other countries are also on the target list but are not currently viewed as priorities—yet. However, in every case, the developing intentions were and are—if anyone was or is willing to look—as clear as daylight, yet they were and are seemingly unable to connect the dots.

Reliance on the media, ill-intentioned ‘allies’, misinformed advisors, and public perceptions does not constitute intelligence at any dimension or level. The misguided belief that these sources will provide accurate and objective intelligence is a myth governments should dispel with absolute haste as these sources are usually coloured with disinformation. Instead, they must develop their own sources of intelligence and take responsibility for their own intelligence collection efforts and their intelligence failures.

Just because the intelligence does not match their ethnic, financial, racial, religious, or xenophobic narrative, it does not mean that it is wrong or false or even non-existent. 

Unless African governments realise the true value of strategic intelligence and critical role it plays in guiding and shaping their national and security strategies and defending their national and vital interests, they will continue to lead themselves—and their people—down the path of self-destruction.

CAS OPERATIONAL VISIT TO YOLA


The Chief of the Air Staff (CAS), Air Mshl Sadique Abubakar yesterday conducted operational visit to the North East. The routine visit to 75 Strike Group Yola was to allow the CAS ascertain the current operational status of the Air component of Operation Lafia Dole and welfare of troops. The visit also enabled the CAS to inspect ongoing projects in the unit.

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CONLN...

Henry240:
Nigeria has 43 T-72 tanks, I don't know were you guys keep getting 16 from.

Oga siir no b me o,dem knw themselves.

giles14:
u can laugh as u want I don't care.but dat was ibwali's quote seconded by u bidexii

iblawi:

I take laugh reply laugh......

Questions for Bidexii
How have the Motor cycles fared in Combat?
How is the Motor cycle Battalion doing as a whole?

@Seun nairaland.com his now becoming something else; I suggest you do something to your Web management & technical guys.

These morning; nairaland was only on read-only mode.

To post or comment was a cloud error 502 or bad gate way or what do they call it...

LTGEN:
Questions for Bidexii
How have the Motor cycles fared in Combat?
How is the Motor cycle Battalion doing as a whole?

As far CION they are doing well.

- they are not combat fared, because they where not designed for that purpose. They are scout & reconnaissance ,trackers, patrol and escort team.

- they are doing well for the purpose which they are being created.

Nigeria Signs Military Agreement With Russia

Nigeria and Russia have agreed on areas of military cooperation, an official has said.



The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Khadija Abba-Ibrahim, also said Nigeria will soon stop the importation of wheat from Russia. .

“We have two agreements on military cooperation which we have negotiated and are likely to be signed very soon.

“They are on technical cooperation, training and purchase of modern military equipment at moderate prices than going into the international market,” she said.

Mrs. Abba-Ibrahim, represented by Baba Garba, Director, European Affairs in the ministry, made the disclosure at the end of the fourth Joint Commission meeting between Russia and Nigeria in Abuja on Friday.

“We import a lot of wheat from Russia and we are telling Russia that this has to stop.

“We want the Russian companies and farmers to come to Nigeria to show us how we can grow our agriculture sector with modern technology,” the minister said.

The Russian delegation was led by Dianov Yurievich, Deputy, Head Russian Delegation in Nigeria.

Mrs. Abba-Ibrahim said the meeting was to foster the existing relationship between the two countries. She noted that Nigeria and Russia had enjoyed cordial relations over time.

“Russia has always been in support of Nigeria at different international fora, it has been in support of Nigeria in the area of fighting terrorism,” she said.

Mrs. Abba-Ibrahim said the meeting considered various areas of cooperation, including solid minerals, atomic energy, trade, power, works and housing, transport, petroleum, communication, water resources, defence, agriculture and health.

She said Russian companies expressed interest in investing in some areas of the Nigerian economy, especially in pursuing the diversification of the economy through mining, agriculture, among others.

Mr. Yurievich lauded the cordial relations between the two countries.

#CION

Al-Shabaab Regains Land As Ethiopia Pulls Troops


As the clock ticked past 11am and birds nestling on the short dry shrub trees chirped away, a large group of young men in camouflage uniforms and black face-wraps appeared from nowhere and marched towards an open clearing in the bush, their feet kicking up dust in the soft, sun-baked brown soil beneath.

Totalling more than 150 men and only their eyes visible, they made no eye contact or small talk among themselves as they lined up.

The men are part of al-Shabab's Special Forces gathered in this rebel base in southern Somalia to undergo final training before they dispatch to nearby towns in preparation for taking them over from African Union (AU) and Somali government troops.

The training base is about 10km outside the strategic town of Moqokori in the Hiiraan region, a town the al-Qaeda-linked group retook after Ethiopian troops withdrew last month.

It is a pattern that has been repeated many times recently across south and central Somalia.

Ethiopia has more than 4,300 soldiers in Somalia as part of African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) - a UN security council-mandated mission to combat the armed group.

The East African country also has thousands of other troops that are not part of AMISOM in Somalia.

Recently, the Ethiopians have been abandoning their bases in towns in southern Somalia; 10 towns in the last four months, four of them in the past four weeks, without notice or explanation.

"Jihad," shouts the group's commander under the watchful eyes of two of al-Shabab's most senior and well-known figures.

"Strength, honour," the fighters shout back, drawing admiring looks from their leaders.

This group of fighters - which includes medics, mechanics, explosives experts and suicide bombers - have been handpicked from al-Shabab's many battalions as the group seeks to retake territories it lost to Somalia's internationally recognised government and AMISOM.

Morale among the fighters appears sky-high as news reaches the training base of Ethiopia withdrawing from towns and al-Shabab taking them over without firing a single bullet or losing a fighter.

"The reason they [Ethiopia] invaded our country, the reason they came to Moqokori, was to harm the Muslim population," Sheikh Ali Mohamud Raage, the group's spokesman, a tall, bulky figure with red eyes and a greying beard, told the gathered fighters who were now sitting on the hot sand.

"They came here to mistreat and degrade our people and to stop them from worshipping Allah. But God chose you to defend His religion and the honour of the Muslim people," Raage said, as shouts of "God is great" from the fighters filled the midday air.

CONTINUATION

Changing fortunes

Ever since the rebel group was pushed out of the Somali capital, Mogadishu, in 2011 by Somali and AU troops, they have been on the back foot, losing major towns and cities across the Horn of African country. The group has also lost several senior leaders in recent years.

However, the armed group's fortunes appear to be changing in central Somalia this year. Since January this year, Ethiopia has faced deadly street protests at home.


With no sign of the wave of unprecedented violent protests stopping or slowing down, Ethiopia declared a state of emergency this month in an effort to halt the demonstrations from spreading across Africa's second most populous country.

Horn of Africa observers believe events back in Ethiopia are the reason why Addis Ababa is cutting down its troop numbers in Somalia.

"Ethiopia said it was in Somalia to preserve and protect its country from external threat," Abdullahi Boru, a Horn of Africa expert, told Al Jazeera. "But Ethiopia is facing a domestic threat now - the largest threat since the overthrow of the Derg regime.

"For the government, there is a change of priority. Ethiopia is a large country, and every boot is needed in Ethiopia to stem the domestic threat. The Oromo and Amhara protests are a bigger threat to the government than al-Shabaab."

The protests in Ethiopia and the unexplained troop withdrawals have come as a timely boost for al-Shabab, and the group's leaders are trumping it as a victory.

"They ran away in the middle of the night because they were too scared. They did not tell even the non-believers that used to work with them. Their country is falling apart. Their people are protesting because they do not want their government. But we will hunt them down until they leave all of our country," Sheikh Hassan Yakub, al-Shabab's governor of the Galgaduud region, told the assembled fighters outside Moqokori.

Addis Ababa denies the latest troops' withdrawal has anything to do with events back home.

"We are pulling out because for a long time our country has shouldered a heavy financial burden having troops in Somalia and it is time the international community took over," Getachew Reda, Ethiopia's communications affairs minister, told Al Jazeera.



"We do not need our army to deal with any domestic issue. Our troops leaving towns in Somalia is not related to anything happening domestically in our country. It is purely an economic decision. We have done a lot to help our Somali brothers stabilise our country, but we cannot continue taking the financial burden. And I expect our troops to pull out of other towns," Reda said.

The minister also denied the troops that had been withdrawn were part of the African Union mission.

"The troops are not part of AMISOM. We have a significant number of troops in Somalia as part of an agreement signed with the Somali government," Reda added.

The African Union mission said Ethiopia's move would not make its operation in Somalia any easier.

"The withdrawal of troops will, of course, bear more responsibilities on our troops and how we carry out our mandate. It is not an ideal situation, but we can manage with our current troop numbers," Joe Kibet, the spokesman for AMISOM, told Al Jazeera.

As the sun set behind the arid plains, the al-Shabab fighters and their military vehicles rolled into Miqokori attracting the locals, young and old, to come out of their homes.

As the troops made their way through the town and Ethiopia continued to threaten to pull its troops out of more towns, the locals were left to wonder whether their own, which changed hands more than twice in the past month, will experience a lasting peace.

NICE VIDEO

CAS Operational Visit North East





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VB9M47alLis

SCREEN GRAB FROM THE VIDEO

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ORDINANCE GUYS...

A HANDFUL OF HARD MEN

Every military unit and every nation has its own heroes who stand steadfast even when the chips were down.
These are men who, faced with possible death, refuse to acknowledge its presence. In times of exhaustion, extreme danger, hunger, and great anxiety, they are able to control their fear and harness it to rally or save their colleagues, and in some instances, even save their countries. Yet, despite their exploits of immense personal courage, dedication and fortitude, these heroes inevitably find themselves abandoned and betrayed by their politicians and generals.
A Handful of Hard Men by Hannes Wessels must rank as one of the most riveting books on contemporary African military history that I have read. It is also a book that lays bare the many misconceptions about Rhodesia’s war for survival and exposes some of the great betrayals these soldiers have been forced to live with. Yet, even when they realised they were being sold out by the very politicians who sent them to war, these men continued to fight on and carry out their orders, not for the politicians or even their generals, but for one another and the unit they held dearly.
The Rhodesian Special Air Service (SAS) produced men of such exceptional calibre.
Hannes Wessels has captured the essence of true combat by this handful of very hard men—the Rhodesian SAS—who, despite adversity and hardship, still found time to treasure small things most civilians take for granted.

Soldiers who, on a daily basis, live a stone’s throw from death, develop their own sense of humour—a sense of humour those who have never been under fire find difficult to grasp. Oftentimes, they speak a language others do not understand but it is a language they have learned through circumstance, hardship, and the ever present spectre of death. These hard men of the Rhodesian SAS were no different.
A Handful of Hard Men looks into the soul of soldiers who, many years ago, were fighting a forgotten war in southern Africa—not as some would like to claim between the black and white people of Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe)—but between two very different ideologies. Ultimately, these soldiers were to face the betrayal of the West, the very civilisation they believed they were defending from an encroaching ideology based on communism and state collapse. In their defence of ‘western civilisation’, they deployed and fought wherever they could find their enemy. Meanwhile, ensconced in their ivory towers, the politicians of the West were plotting the demise of Rhodesia.
Through his pen, the author weaves a narrative that focusses on one man in particular—Darrell Watt—and the brave men who, under his leadership, stood beside him, regardless. The support they received from an ill-equipped air force (due to international sanctions) is worthy of a book on its own.
A Handful of Hard Men spans several years of Darrell Watt’s life—from recruitment, to training, to reconnaissance, to operational and tactical deception, to deep penetration raids and operations, and the ultimate standing down of the Rhodesian SAS. The operations these few men conducted were intense, breath-taking in magnitude, and vividly described, and yet even under the ever-present threat of death, humour presented itself.
Interwoven in the narrative is the developing political situation and the behind-the-doors negotiations and political duplicity to collapse one ideology and replace it with another.
After reading of the operations the Rhodesian SAS conducted, I was left breathless and it was as though I could smell the cordite and taste the blood in my mouth.  
I would highly recommend this magnificent book at any serious student of contemporary African warfare and history.
For ordering information, as well as other news and stories on Africa, visit Hannes’s blog

www.africaunauthorised.com